From The Diving Board

Designed to go viral with a focus on intensity and ambition, Hyrox reflects everything that Gen Z craves right now: self-optimisation, a cult like community and extreme discipline. But... why? What is it about pushing ourselves that is so enticing to us? And what if our desire to self-optimise wasn't entirely our own, but influenced by decisions politicians made 40 years ago...

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Music: Joe Silver

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Everyone's talking about going analog, but are we ready to make the jump? Even if we are - how do we get there? In this episode we unpack where this trend came from, the rise in AI slop, the lack of ownership that we have over media when it's digitised, and whether we can ever really escape social media algorithms even if we do decide to log off... Let's dive in!
Outfit from @coldwashonly_

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00:00 intro
03:07 the situation
08:42 we've all got the ick11:38 we don't own anything
18:46 is this all performative?

As us Aussies (& southern hemisphere friends) enter the Summer, I thought it might be a good time to reshare this episode on suntanning. We know suntanning is bad for our health, but why do we even want to tan our skin in the first place? Let's unpack where the trend comes from, and its links with race, class and health.
Thanks so much for tuning in! See you next fortnight with a brand new episode! xx
Instagram: @fromthedivingboard
TikTok: @charlichatss

What are we locking in for? Unpacking the 'religion' of self-optimisation culture & locking-in as an aesthetic as we approach the new year. How to avoid burn-out & stay ambitious without having to set new year's resolutions that make us feel worthless... let's talk about it!
& THANK YOU for all of the love this year!!! I truly am beyond grateful for your support. Make sure to follow the podcast to keep up with any new uploads! Bring on 2026 xxx
Instagram: @fromthedivingboard
TikTok: @charlichatss
00:00 intro
01:18 thank you!
05:05 the December of it all
06:54 The Great Lock In of 2025
18:38 new year, new me
23:20 a better way to make resolutions
28:12 my burnout experience

Earlier this year, Avi Schiffman’s poster campaign for his brand Friend—an AI-pendant promising to “listen, respond, and support you”—was vandalised almost as soon as it hit New York’s subway walls. Yet while critics mocked the idea of an artificial ‘friend,’ Schiffman smiled; the backlash was part of the plan. In this video, we unpack the loneliness epidemic, what friendship looks like under neoliberalism, and why AI companionship is becoming appealing in a world that worships convenience and rejects friction.
Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠ <3
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timestamps:
00:00 intro04:00 loneliness & the internet10:34 anti-social media17:22 frictionless friendship22:05 is it all just rage bait?29:30 our conflict avoidance crisis